Say 'Cheese'
by Juclesia
Summary: It's been three years since Haruko's left and Naota is sent to therapy for supposed 'depression'. But the therapist is not who we think, and Naota may end up getting the offer of a lifetime.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own FLCL.

_**Just Swing**_

_**I**_

I watched as the man across from me got himself comfortable, and knew this was going to take forever. Didn't these people understand? All I wanted to do was go home and curl up under my bed covers. Was that too much to ask?

Mr. What's His Name was looking at me closely now, his brows knitted pensively together, fingers entwined on the table. _So_ intimidating. I turned my gaze away, trying my best to look aloof, when I noticed a tape recorder in the corner of the room. Heh, and they had said that what I'd tell them in this place, no matter how dirtily secret, would remain private and unheard by others. What a joke.

"So," I began bitterly, "aren't I s'pposed to be laid out on some chair or somethin'?" This was therapy, wasn't it?

"Actually," I heard him reply, "it was initially like that, until we ended up having our patients nod off in the middle of a session."

And why did he think that was? I could tell him one thing, it sure wasn't because of the chair.

"Now," he said while leaning back in his chair, twiddling a pen in his large fingers. "You know why you're here, don't you?"

I shot him a cold glare, but he remained unfazed. "No."

Annoyance evident on the man's face, he leaned forward again, this time matching my glower. He obviously thought I was in denial or something, but really, I had no idea why I was there. Like I said, all I wanted to do was go to sleep. Where was that chair when you needed it?

He forced a tight smile. "Really? Come on now," he encouraged, his tone mimicking that of a parent speaking to a toddler, "your father says you've been moping and sulking a lot lately. You're here so we can see what's wrong and try to help you get out of this depression."

Depression? What was he babbling about? Hell, I've been like this my whole life, and if my dad just noticed recently then that was pretty damn sad. There was nothing wrong with me.

He must have noticed the angered look on my face, because his smile suddenly widened. He arched a bushy brow. "Ah, looks like I hit a nerve of some sort? So, care to tell me what's been on your mind lately?"

I kept my lips sealed.

The man's lips pursed in vexation. "Hmmm, would it have anything to do with something that happened— oh I dunno— around three years or so ago?"

At these words, I found myself become stone still as I let a cold chill run down my spine. Only one word ran through my mind.

Haruko.

Three years had passed since Haruko had left, and I had felt strangely empty after her depart. Maybe that was why my dad had set up this little 'session.' I shook my thoughts vigorously. But how could that be! If I hadn't been acting _any _different than usual, then how could my father have known that I still missed Haruko? Therefore, how did this man know? Was it just a coincidence?

Or was this why I was really here? To talk about Haruko, and the things that came out of my head? Who was this guy?

I stole a quick glance at recorder. The red light was still flashing, the tape was rolling.

_Don't tell him, Ta-kun, _Haruko's voice whispered in my mind as I turned back to face the man. He was waiting for my response.

"Nothing's wrong with me," I murmured under my breath, observing his frown as I said this, "you're wasting your time."

His eyes twitched with impatience. He stood up, half his body now leaning over the table as he stared me right in the eye. He was so close, I could see the unpleasant pimple that throbbed on his forehead. I flinched slightly. "Tell me this then," he hissed icily, spit splattering my face, "what . . . . . . . . . is Furi Kuri?"

Another chill ran through me,and this time, a sudden fear followed it. I felt as my heart skipped a sudden beat. This, was no coincidence. And this man, was no therapist.

"Yeeeeeeeaaaaaaooooooouuuuuuuuaaaaaa!"

We both started as the abrupt interruption penetrated our eardrums, looking around frantically for its source. When it only grew louder, we regretfully looked to the ceiling, where we most certainly found our answer. We were greeted by a mouthful of plaster and debris as the roof suddenly caved in, and were immediately knocked off our feet.

I lay under the rubble, part of me not wanting to get up. I had no desire to see what had just caused the roof to collapse; I was just too tired.

But the world seemed against me today as I felt a cold hand grasp my bruised arm. It pulled me, against my will, through the pile of rubble and to my feet. Though I found this was a wasted effort, seeing as I almost fell again from disarray. Through blurry vision I could make out a slim figure in front of me, and I wondered whether or not I was dreaming . . .

Because I could've sworn it was Haruko.

The form walked toward and then past me, and I moaned in overwhelming confusion. As my vision began to clear, I had no chance to scan my surroundings as something hard ran into my backside, throwing their arms around my neck. I felt cool lips graze my ear.

"Did you miss me . . . _Ta-kun_?"

My eyes widened in disbelief. I looked down to see a pair of yellow gloves. "H-haruko?"

"Yeah?" her soft voice replied, and I knew it was really her. It was really her. Really Haruko.

My heart thumped hard against my rib-cage as I spun around in her arms, meeting her two golden orbs. A smile played on her rosy pink lips as she stared at me, and I felt tears spring up in my eyes. Stubbornly I blinked them away, but found they kept coming. I knew I wouldn't be able to hold them in much longer. So instead I buried my face into her chest, letting my tears run freely on her vest, where at least they wouldn't be seen. "You're back!" I cried. "You're really back!"

I heard her chuckle through my sobs. "Yeah, kid," she said quietly. "I'm back."

**_To be continued . . ._**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own FLCL.

_**Just Swing**_

_**II**_

"B-but why'd you come back after all these years?" I asked in bewilderment as we continued down the hall. "Weren't you an outlaw?"

Keeping her head straight, Haruko's eyes shifted to me, her smirk broadening. "Still am."

Nothing was making sense. Numerous questions pounded on my head, and I was starting to get a monster headache. "W-well," I began, picking a random question that floated in my mind, "who was that guy? He wasn't a therapist."

She scoffed. "That old fart's part of the Galaxy Space Police Brotherhood; he's been after me for sometime now. He followed me here, and I guess he decided to interrogate you, hoping you'd know my whereabouts."

I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what to think. I was just happy Haruko was here. For some reason, it didn't matter to me if she almost destroyed Mabase, or the entire world, I still loved her. "But why'd you come _here_?"

As we exited the building, she wrapped one arm around my shoulders while the other gave me a painful noogie (sp?). I had to admit, it felt good to laugh after so long, and I almost didn't recognize the sound. "To visit you, silly!" she teased, letting go when satisfied with my laughter.

"Yeah right!" I teased back, the smile feeling strange on my lips. Maybe I had been depressed.

"And," she added a bit more seriously, "I need you to help me with something. . . something big."

My grin wavered slightly. Of course, I should've known that she'd be here for a more important reason than to _visit _me. She was an outlaw for Christ's sake! She took my silence as a cue to continue. Without warning she led me into an alley, where she once again wrapped her arms around my neck and placed her icy lips seductively on my ear. "I need your power, _Ta-kun_."

I was at a loss for words. My . . . power?

"Atomsk is here, too. Or Canti if that's what you wanna call him. We need your help, _Ta-kun_."

I still didn't understand. She had to be more specific. "You're not a kid anymore," she whispered, "how'd you like to come to space with me?"

At this I couldn't help but picture the possibilities. I imagined myself riding alongside Haruko on the Vespa Superior Raharu had given me, the stars whirling past us in a captivating blur, the law of physics not applying as our laughter rang through the vast blackness.

It was like a fantasy: a fantasy I'd wanted to do from the first time she had asked me, but had been speechless and didn't answer. All I knew was that this would be one hell of a chance to let slip through your fingers, _twice_.

But why? Why did she need me to go to space with her? Why did she need my power? "Why?"

By the uncomfortable silence, I could tell she'd been trying to avoid answering that question. She sighed heavily. "Well, it's kinda hard to explain," she said as she released me. "Let's just say I'm trying to get something back, something that rightfully belongs to me. And I need your power to help me do it."

A camera flashed in my mind, and I spun around to face Haruko. "What about Mamimi? And Ninamori?" I couldn't just leave them, even though I actually hadn't seen Mamimi in a few years. But she had sent a letter, so she was bound to come back anytime! A-and my brother! And Grandpa! Would they miss me if I left?

"Hmmmm," she pondered noisily, considering my sudden protests while rubbing her chin. After a quiet moment, she hung her head to her chest with another sigh, before looking at me with a crooked smile. "Well, Ta-kun, I can't _make _you come with me," she admitted in mild disappointment, "after all," she grabbed my cheeks and pinched without warning, "you are a big boy now, aren't ya! You've grown since I last saw you!"

Ow! Did she pinch hard! I leaped back while swatting her hands away.

She placed her hands on her hips. "I'll just have to give ya a ride home and let you think about it,'kay?" While saying this, she pulled me close to her as she led us back to her Vespa. All I could think about as we walked was her hair. If she was an alien, then why did her hair smell like strawberry shampoo? Or was that kinda stuff just an intergalactic product or something?

I think I sometimes get too engrossed in my thoughts. One minute we were sauntering out of the alley, the next I had my arms wrapped securely around her waist as the wind whipped viciously through my hair. All the while I stared at the sun melting into the horizon, wondering whether or not I was going to accept Haruko's offer . . .

Or if I could even trust her.

_**To be continued . . .**_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own FLCL

**A/N:** _Just Swing _is what I had initially named the story, but had decided to change it. That's why in the previous chapters it says _just swing I _or _just swing II. _Sorry if there was any confusion. Also, for those of you who haven't noticed, I'm basing this story partly on the Anime and partly the manga. They're different you know!

_**Say 'Cheese'**_

_**III**_

It was somewhere around 10:00a.m. when I finally opened my eyes, only to be blinded by the beams of sunlight cascading into my room. I'd told Haruko that she could sleep at my place since she was an outlaw, but that had been an awful mistake.

She'd snored all night, keeping me trapped somewhere in between sleep and awareness. Not pleasant. Each time I would finally doze off into somewhat of a slumber, I was jerked awake by a sudden snort.

I slowly sat upright while rubbing the sleepiness from my tired eyes, and swung my feet off the bedside. I blinked once or twice before climbing shakily to my feet, opening my mouth to give a monstrous yawn. When I opened my door, I found my mind wandering off to Haruko's offer again. I'd thought about it for a long time, and still hadn't made up my mind.

As I walked down the hall, the low hum of voices pounded on my sensitive head. I could already imagine my dad trying to hit on Haruko, and my grandpa doing his usual routine on whining about the food. I think I was pretty much used to the noise by now though, so I wasn't surprised to see exactly what I'd envisioned when I stepped into the dining room.

Grandpa sat glaring at the breakfast meal while mumbling something poison, while Dad leaned close to Haruko, purring to her seductively. I was personally glad to see her look of disgust.

I guess I eventually caught her attention, because she turned to meet my gaze, that warm, familiar smile plastered on her face. "Ta-kun!" she beckoned sweetly, roughly shoving my dad out of the way. "You're finally awake, you sleepyhead!"

I glared weakly. "You're the one who was snoring all night!" I accused. "I didn't get any sleep at all!"

"_Really_?" she asked while feigning shock, batting her lashes prettily.

I just grumbled under my breath as I took a seat across from her. Really, I was happy she was here, even if I didn't exactly show it in the most obvious way. Maybe it was just me.

I looked down hesitantly at my scrambled eggs. "Eat up! Before it gets cold!" I heard her coo, and I wondered if Grandpa actually knew what he was talking about, the poison'n all.

Cautiously I scooped some of the eggs on to my fork, watching as it merely leaked back on to the plate. It vaguely reminded me of mucus, and at that moment something churned in my stomach. Through my sudden nausea, I could make out Haruko's distant voice.

I looked up to see her staring at me expectantly. "What?" I asked stupidly.

"I said, have you made your decision?"

Damn. I was hoping she wouldn't ask so soon. Frantically I shoveled some eggs into my mouth and couldn't help but grimace. They felt like mucus, too.

But sadly, this didn't save me, and I knew I'd end up having to make my decision right on the spot. Dammit.

I quickly ran through my thoughts, weighing the benefits and consequences of saying yes. It was sooo tempting. I mean really, how many times did someone get this chance? Probably one in fifteen trillion; me being that one. But still, would I ever be able to come back home if I wanted to? What if something bad happened and I never saw anyone again? Or worst of all, what if Haruko was lying? What if she only wanted me to help her with a crime or something, something that would make it impossible for me ever to be safe again?

But it would be the adventure of a lifetime . . .

I sighed as I slowly met her hopeful eyes. "I have decided . . . and— I'm not going."

The table grew disturbingly silent as I said this, and I found it unnerving that even though I knew my father and grandpa had no clue what we were talking about, they still stared at me with a 'how-could-you-pass-off-a-chance-like-this' stare. Meanwhile, Haruko's grin had fallen into a confused frown. I knew that's not what she'd expected me to say.

The doorbell cut through the silence like a keen cleaver, and I was the most desperate to escape the tension. I stood up without meeting anyone's gaze. I hated Haruko looking at me like that. I just couldn't take it.

Next thing I knew I was at the front door. And as I opened it, my heart fluttered in the most unexplainable way. I found myself at a loss for words.

"M-mamimi?"

It'd been so long since I'd seen her, I'd almost forgotten what she looked like. She smiled crookedly. "_Ta-kun_!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around my neck. "I came to visit, _Ta-kun_!"

It'd been so long since I'd heard that voice. Speaking of voices, I think I lost mine.

She leaned back again to look me over, and that's when I noticed the camera that dangled around her neck. "Also, Haru-san told me she was in town, too, and wanted to ask me something."

At this, my eyes widened in horrified realization. I turned my head slightly toward the kitchen, where I could see Haruko leaning nonchalantly on to the table, her eyes gleaming deviously, a smirk on her lips. She'd known Mamimi was coming, hadn't she? And was it just me, or was she planning something that she knew I wouldn't like? All I knew was that I had a bad feeling about this.

"_Ta-kun_!" Mamimi's voice jerked me from my daze, and I spun around. "Say 'cheeeeeeese!'"

A flash followed the order, and I found myself suddenly blinded. "H-hey! What was that for!"

I think she smiled, but I couldn't tell. "I wanna remember the look on your face when you opened the door!" she explained happily, releasing the camera to let it settle on her chest again. It was obvious she'd become quite the photographer over the past three years. I wasn't so sure it was a good thing.

As soon as my vision cleared, I led Mamimi to the dining room, occasionally rubbing my eyes to rid of a few more spots.

"Yeah, I hope you don't mind I invited Sameji!" Haruko called as we entered. "Now it's a real re-union!"

As we sat down, Haruko shot me another mischievous smirk. I wondered silently as conservation once again erupted, what the hell was going on. Why she'd invited Mamimi over, why Mamimi had said Haruko wanted to ask her something, and why I was starting to feel nauseous.

**_To be continued . . ._**


End file.
